It Must Be You
by gleefullyLea
Summary: Rachel really needs her mom and Shelby is willing to do anything to help and to get Rachel to forgive her for leaving her Sophomore year.
1. Chapter 1

**Sorry I haven't been updating much, I have had tons of graduations and graduation parties to attend. I have a small break from them for a while so hopefully all my stories will get updated this week. **

**Thank you so much for your reviews and to those who read as well. It means a lot to me. I almost stopped writing because I wasn't sure you guys were liking these but a lot of you seem to like them.  
**

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It was two in the morning and the party was going strong. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors alike, took their turns filling up their cups and retreating back to their groups of friends or to the dance floor. Music pumped through the entire house and even radiated out to the pool, where Quinn sat.

Her soft feet gently skimmed the cool water of the heated pool as she sipped down some more beer. Things were going good for the teen. After a rocky Sophomore year, Quinn was climbing the social latter to the top once again.

After giving her baby up for adoption to Shelby, Rachel's biological mother, Quinn stayed in touch with the woman so she could see Beth grow up. Quinn loved being able to watch her daughter grow up and though it was hard sometimes to not get to play the mother role, she decided it was better than not seeing Beth at all.

When Quinn's parents divorced, Russell bought a new house on the other side of town and moved in with his secretary. Judy Fabray stayed in the house she shared with her ex but had begun to drink.

One night, three months after Beth was born, Quinn was over at the Corcoran house, sitting on the floor of the nursery doing her homework until Beth fell asleep. A few minutes after Quinn had left, Shelby went into the nursery to check on the baby, when she noticed the math book slightly tucked underneath a baby blanket. Figuring it was important for Quinn to have, Shelby packed up Beth and took her over to the Fabray house to return the book.

Quinn opened the door and quickly walked out to the porch and closed the door, shutting Shelby out from what was going on behind it. Shelby knew something was up but didn't push any further, until Judy drunkenly opened the door. She was a complete mess and Shelby was infuriated. Shelby sent Quinn out to the car to sit with Beth while she spoke to Judy. It took nearly two hours, several screaming matches, and many rounds of tears for Judy to agree that she needed to get her act together. It was decided that Quinn would stay with Shelby until Judy seeked the help she needed and was able to take care of Quinn again.

Two months later, things were going great for Quinn and Shelby. Both were getting along, with only a few little tantrums on the teen's part. The only hard part about living with Shelby, was having to keep it a secret from Rachel.

The girls had become good friends over the summer and Quinn felt guilty about having to lie. Shelby told her she didn't need too but Quinn felt she did. Shelby didn't understand the impact she had left on Rachel after leaving her twice last school year. Quinn and Rachel spoke about it often. Quinn wanted to share Rachel's feelings with Shelby but wasn't sure how either brunette would handle it.

Quinn scanned the backyard of Brittany's house once again. Rachel had left her side over 30 minutes ago to retrieve the girls another shot of Vodka and hadn't yet returned. She was getting nervous but was assuming Rachel had gotten caught up in the Karaoke Battle. Where there was a microphone, there was a Rachel.

Pulling her feet out of the water, Quinn brushed off the extra water and gathered her heels before walking into the house. It was unusually warm for November but Quinn wasn't complaining. It gave her one more chance to wear her favorite summer dress. She swatted at the skirt of her dress to dust off the dirt and debris.

Not finding Rachel at the beverage table in the kitchen or in the livingroom for Karaoke, Quinn started asking people if they had seen Rachel. Santana pulled herself away from kissing Brittany long enough to tell Quinn, Rachel had gone downstairs with a boy.

As she walked down the stairs, Quinn called out for her friend. Another shout out and a door behind her slammed shut and a boy dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, ran up the stairs. Quinn almost turned around to continue down the hallway but one of Rachel's shoes caught her attention.

"Rachel?" Quinn called out but got no response. The music was quite loud and Quinn assumed she didn't hear her name being called.

Moving closer to the door, she saw her friend sitting on the bed, her back to the door. Rachel was fully clothed with the exception of her shoes. Quinn knocked on the door, causing Rachel to jump of the bed in fear.

"Whoa, Rach. Calm down." Quinn said, holding up her hands. Seeing Rachel's bruised and battered face, legs and arms, Quinn ran over to Rachel. "Oh my God, Rachel! Are you okay?"

"He-h-he…I-I-" Rachel stammered. There were no words that needed to be said, Quinn knew what had happened.

"It's okay." Quinn whispered. "You don't have to say anything. Come on, lets get you home."

Quinn tried to hold Rachel's arm to support the girl but Rachel pulled away. "Please. Don't touch me."

"I'm sorry."

Rachel nodded and waited for Quinn to collect her shoes. The two carefully walked up the stairs, Rachel kept her head down so no one saw her face. They piled into Quinn's car as Quinn had been the one to pick up Rachel before the party.

"Are your dads home?" Quinn asked.

"I can't go home." Rachel shook her head. She looked up at Quinn, tears freshly filling her eyes. "I can't tell them. Can I stay at your place tonight?"

"Rachel, I-" Quinn squirmed in her seat.

"I know you live with Shelby." Rachel blurted out, staring at her hands. "I'm not stupid. I've seen you guys out together grocery shopping, at the mall and out for walks. I've seen you in one of the windows of her house. You have your own room and everything."

"I'm sorry." Quinn repeated.

"It's okay. You needed her more than I did." Rachel shrugged.

"You needed her too." Quinn said, quietly. "And you really need her now."

Rachel nodded again and leaned against the seat. It had been exceptionally hard for Rachel to see and know her mom had abandoned her and adopted her best friend's baby, then had taken Quinn in and was now parenting the teen. It was suppose to be Rachel living in that house. Instead, Shelby didn't even want anything to do with Rachel. In all the talks she had with Quinn about missing her mom after finding out she was living with Shelby, Rachel had hoped Quinn would relay the messages to Shelby and Shelby would come back to Rachel. But nothing ever came from the conversations.

Quinn pulled into the driveway of the quite large white house. She went to open the door but was stopped when Rachel broke out into sobs, finally showing some emotion. Dropping her hand from the door handle, Quinn reached out to comfort her friend but stopped, remembering Rachel didn't want to be touched.

"I want my mom." Rachel choked out, between hiccups.

Quinn whispered okay and got out of the car. She wasn't sure if she should leave Rachel alone but Rachel didn't make any move to get out and Quinn decided it was alright. The front door was locked and Quinn fished through her car key ring for the house key. Getting the door unlocked, Quinn tip toed up to the second floor and went into Shelby's room.

Shelby was wrapped up in her blankets and Quinn bit her lip as she tapped the woman's arm. "Shelby?"

There was no sound from Shelby.

"Shelby?" Quinn whispered a bit louder, now pushing on her arm.

"Hmm?" Shelby murmured, opening her eyes slightly. She glanced at the clock, then over at Quinn and noticed that the girl had just gotten home. She sat up with narrowed eyes. "Quinn, do you have any idea what time it is? You were suppose to be home at midnight. Where have you been?"

"Shelby-" Quinn started but Shelby was worked up by now.

"You're grounded for the rest of the weekend. Which means you call Finn in the morning and tell him you can't hang out." Shelby chastised. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Quinn bowed her head and shuffled her feet for moment before looking back up at Shelby. "You need to come outside."

"Please, tell me you didn't crash your car." Shelby sighed, getting out of bed and slipping on her slippers.

"It's Rachel." She shook her head.

"Rachel?" Shelby froze. "What about Rachel?"

"We went to a party together." Quinn said. "And-"

"-You went to a party?" Shelby exclaimed. Shaking her head, she put a hand on her hip and grabbed a sweatshirt. "You better hope for your sake you didn't drink and pending Rachel's hang over in the morning, you both are in for a day of yard work and running laps to teach you a lesson."

Quinn followed Shelby into the hall. Before Shelby could take the first step, Quinn filled her in on why Rachel was at the Corcoran house. "She's not drunk." Quinn said. Shelby turned and looked at the blonde. "She was raped. At the party. I didn't know. She was going to get us something to drink and she never came back. I went to find her but it was too late."

"Oh my." Shelby's voice trailed off.

"She didn't want to go home, she wants you." Quinn said, tears flowing down her cheeks and she used the back of her hand to wipe them away. "If I had known, I would have stopped it. I'm sorry."

"Shhh." Shelby said pulling Quinn to her. "You didn't know. There is nothing to be sorry about."

"You have to help her." Quinn said, into Shelby's chest. "Please. She needs you."

"I know." Shelby soothingly said. She pulled Quinn away and looked at her in the eyes, brushing her bangs from her face. "I want you to take a shower and listen for Beth. I am going to take Rachel to the hospital."

"Okay." Quinn nodded and Shelby watched her for a moment and headed downstairs as fast as she could.

At first Shelby didn't see Rachel in the car but then she noticed the younger version of her, hunched over in the front seat. She opened the passenger door and knelt down on the ground. Feeling her mom's touch, Rachel lunged into Shelby's arms.

"Mama." Rachel sobbed out, clinging to Shelby.

"You're alright now. I'm here." Shelby gently rocked the two.

Rachel seemed to calm down enough for Shelby to move her from Quinn's car into her SUV. Rachel continued to cry the entire way to the hospital and Shelby tried to comfort her by rubbing small, loving circles on Rachel's hand. Shelby helped Rachel out of the car and through the ER doors. Telling the nurses what happened, the pair was whisked to a room. At first Shelby was asked to leave the room but Rachel screamed for Shelby as she was walked out. Not caring what the nurses said, Shelby rushed back to Rachel's side.

Shelby did her best to not cry through the exam, even though Rachel's cries were enough to make a grown man break down. She held it in and when the rape kit was done, two cops came in wanting to get Rachel's statement. Listening to Rachel's story finally broke Shelby and the tears fell freely.

Shelby felt horrible. Here she was a sobbing mess and Rachel, the one who was raped and was telling her story, hadn't even stopped to shed a tear. Bravely she was telling her story and Shelby couldn't even hold herself together.

"We're gonna talk to some of the party goers and see if we can't figure out who this boy is." The male officer said. Rachel had only learned his first name was Josh.

"In the meantime, try to take it easy and we will stay in touch." The woman said, nodding a goodbye to Shelby and Rachel.

Right after the officers left, Rachel's nurse informed Shelby that Rachel was set to go home after the discharge papers were printed off. In the chaos of Rachel's arrival to the hospital, the Berry men were called and were on their way. Rachel and Shelby tried to hold a conversation free of the night's events and Sophomore year, at Rachel's request. Their chatter was broken up with many uncomfortable silences and one worded answers. Neither knew what to talk about.

Hiram and Leroy Berry's entrance was nerve wrecking for Shelby. As the men swarmed and hovered over Rachel, Shelby found herself slowly backing out of the room. She figured the three needed their time alone and was going to wait in the lobby to say her goodbyes after Rachel was released.

"Don't go!" Rachel called out. The men turned and noticed Shelby for the first time. "Please."

"Shelby?" Leroy and Hiram gasped out.

"Hi." Shelby whispered. "I-um-Rachel was brought to my house by Quinn and I drove her here. I would have called but I didn't know your numbers."

"Thank you for, uh, helping Rachel." Leroy smiled graciously.

"You're not leaving are you?" Rachel asked again, sitting up.

"Not for good. No." Shelby shook her head. "Look, I made a terrible mistake with you a few months ago. I regret it every single day and I wanted to so badly to talk to you and apologize but I was scared. You must hate me so much for what I did and I worry that you'll never forgive me. I never meant to hurt Rachel, I swear. When we talked, she told me about how you guys bring her water when she is sad and it made me realize, I can't have that with her. I can't have that little baby back. Watching Beth grow and now taking care of Quinn, has made me realize that no matter how old you are, I can still have a relationship with you. We can learn to love each other."

"I already love you." Rachel said, reaching her hand out for Shelby to take. The woman happily obliged. "I loved you since before I knew you and I loved you more after I met you. I tried to hate you when you left but I couldn't. I couldn't hate you."

"I really am sorry, Rachel." Shelby said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Me too." Rachel said, leaning into her mom for a hug.

The men backed off for only a short time before Leroy spoke up.

"We know you two have a lot of talking to do but I think what's best for now is for Rachel to go home and get some rest."

"Your dad is right." Shelby said, wiping her eyes. "You need to get some sleep and I will come visit you when you feel up for it."

"No." Rachel shook her head, holding on to Shelby tighter.

"Honey, I promise I will come see you." Shelby said.

"I wanna go home with you." Rachel said and looked at her dads. "Please daddies. I really need my mom right now. I need a woman to help me through this."

The men glanced at each other and gave two approving nods. "Alright. Daddy and I will bring some clothes by later on." Hiram nodded.

Rachel buried her head into Shelby's shoulder while the three adults made arrangements for the dads to come by Shelby's house for brunch and to drop some of Rachel's clothes off. Shelby offered up her house for as long as Rachel needed and wanted to stay and the men knew Rachel was going to want to be with Shelby for at least a week or two, during her physical recovery.

Shelby helped Rachel change into a set of scrubs while the men signed Rachel's release forms. Much to Rachel's protest, she left the hospital in a wheelchair and pouted the whole way to Shelby's car. Phone numbers, addresses, and goodbyes were exchanged for a few minutes before a yawn from Rachel broke the adults apart.

Quinn messaged Shelby, asking if Rachel was okay. After receiving a reply from Shelby that Rachel would be staying with them for a few days and that they were on their way home, Quinn got to work laying out some pajamas and an extra blanket for Rachel. She went into the linen closet and grabbed an extra toothbrush, loofa sponge and towel as well. She went down to the kitchen and grabbed the second baby monitor (The other being in Shelby's room.) and went out to sit on the front porch.

Rachel had fallen asleep before even leaving the hospital parking lot. Shelby turned the radio off to not disturb the girl and when she pulled into the driveway, she saw Quinn sitting on the porch swing. Gently closing the driver's door, Shelby hurried up to the porch. While it was still warm out, there was a chilly breeze and Quinn was in nothing but shorts and a tank top, her hair still damp from her shower.

"Quinn Fabray!" She lightly scolded. "What on earth are you doing out here? You're cold."

"I'm fine." Quinn said as Shelby rubbed her arms to warm her up.

"Your skin is cold."

"I'm fine." Quinn repeated, peering past Shelby. "What about Rachel?"

"She's going alright." Shelby said. "It's gonna be a long road for her but she's got her dads and us to help her find her way."

"Is she mad at me? Or you?" Quinn asked, looking at her mother figure.

"I'm not completely sure." Shelby honestly answered. "We only talked a little but right now, she is more focused on what just happened."

"Oh." Quinn answered.

"Now." Shelby tightened up her voice. "I want you upstairs and in bed. I am gonna get Rachel settled, then I will come in to stay goodnight."

"Yes Ma'am." Quinn nodded. She glanced at the car one last time before slipping into the house.

Shelby woke Rachel up and walked her into the house. Before leaving the hospital, Rachel was given a mild sleep aid to help her for the night and it worked against the two of them as they made it through the house. Shelby used her free hand that wasn't supporting Rachel, to open the guest room door but after a second thought, she closed the door and walked Rachel to her bedroom. Shelby didn't know if Rachel was going to have a nightmare or not and didn't want the girl to wake up and not know where Shelby was and wake up the other two girls in the process of finding her.

She laid Rachel down and turned to leave the room to retrieve a spare blanket and was met by Quinn holding out the blanket she had gotten out earlier.

"Thanks baby." Shelby said. She covered Rachel up and walked Quinn out of the room. Across the hall, Shelby led Quinn to her bed and got the worried teen tucked in. "Don't worry about Rachel, she is safe now. Goodnight Quinn."

"Night, Shelby." Quinn yawned. She rolled over on her side and closed her eyes.

Tip toeing out of the bright pink painted room, Shelby slipped her sweatshirt and slippers off and slid into bed next to Rachel. A small whimper escaped from the girl and Shelby laid a hand on Rachel's cheek.

"Shh." She whispered into Rachel's ear.

"Mama?" Rachel whimpered again.

"I'm right here." Shelby said.

Rachel opened her eyes just enough to make sure Shelby was really there and closed her eyes again. Wedging herself against her mother, Rachel fell back asleep. Shelby tightly and protectively held Rachel while she too drifted off to sleep.

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**One shot? Or multichapter?**

**Let me know what you think.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

The wails of the five month old shot through the monitor next to Shelby's head. Her hand flew out and her slender fingers searched for the volume button. Unsure if Rachel had been disturbed, Shelby laid still, waiting for any sign of movement from Rachel. When Rachel's breathing remained slow and even, Shelby carefully pushed herself out of bed. Luckily at some point in the last three hours, Rachel had rolled away from Shelby so the woman was able to get out of bed without having to disturb Rachel.

She closed her bedroom door, then stopped by Quinn's room to shut her door as well. Turning the small lamp on beside the rocking chair, Shelby hovered over the crib and lifted the impatient little girl out of her bed. Shelby had learned early on to leave bottles of baby water and a canister of formula on the changing table for late night feedings, that way she didn't have to walk up and down the stairs all night. Juggling the still fussy baby, Shelby made the bottle in record time and sat down in the rocker. Using her big toe, Shelby pushed the glider back and forth gently while Beth greedily ate.

Meanwhile, the next door over, Rachel rolled over in her sleep and reached out to touch her mom. It was comforting to know that for now, Shelby was there for her. Her brow furrowed when Rachel didn't feel her mom and she opened her eyes to look at Shelby's side of the bed. She sat up and stared into the darkness until her eyes adjusted. Shelby wasn't in the room and wasn't in the attached bathroom. Rachel's eyes filled with tears and she brought her knees up to her chest.

Shelby's voice came from the monitor and Rachel lifted her head up, reaching for the device. After turning it every which way a couple times, she found the volume button and turned it up. Beth was crying just a little bit and Shelby was singing to her. Rachel sighed in relief to know that Shelby had gotten up to take care of Beth and hadn't left her.

Rachel got out of bed and headed out the door. Her memory was hazy as she tried to remember which room she had seen was Beth's. The light underneath one of the doors helped her out and Rachel cracked the door open and peered her head inside. Shelby turned her head at the slight creaking of the hinges and gave Rachel a small smile, while motioning with her head for Rachel to come in.

Beth was now settled back into a deep slumber and Shelby laid her down. Rachel stood by the door, not wanting to make any noise out of fear of waking up Beth. Shelby turned the light off and put her arm around Rachel as the two walked out of the room. Shelby turned on the hallway light and saw that Rachel had been crying recently.

"Rachel? What's wrong?" Shelby asked, wiping the few stray tears that sat on Rachel's cheekbones. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"Uh, yeah." Rachel settled on. Shelby was still here for Rachel and she felt childish for crying over it. "But I'm okay."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." Shelby said, not only talking about the night before.

"You're here now." Rachel said. She couldn't help but push herself into Shelby's unsuspecting arms. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Rach." Shelby replied, holding on to Rachel.

"Then how come you didn't come back?" Rachel asked.

Shelby knew this conversation was going to be had at some point and she hoped Rachel would understand why she did what she did. It was nearly seven in the morning, too early for Beth or Quinn to fully wake up. On top of dealing with Rachel, she didn't want to have to deal with two cranky girls as well. Taking Rachel's hand, Shelby walked them down to the kitchen and sat Rachel down.

"For the last 16 years, I've gone through life wondering who you were, what you were doing, what you looked like but all I could do was picture that baby I gave up. When you were born and the nurses were cleaning you off, you looked at me like you knew who I was. When I saw you at sectionals, you weren't this little baby anymore. You were an adult. You were all grown up and it was too late for me to teach you things and to help you if you needed it." Shelby said, sitting across from Rachel at the table. "Adopting Beth was like getting a second chance. I was getting to be a mom for this baby from the beginning. It was great but it didn't heal the hurt from not having you around and when Quinn came to live with me, I thought the same thing I did with you. That she was grown and wouldn't need me for much but Quinn really needed me and had a lot of things to learn. Quinn and Beth taught me that you had a lot to learn from me too. I was so wrong before and I am so so sorry I didn't see it before."

Rachel could sort of understand what Shelby was saying but it still didn't help her entirely. However, Rachel knew things weren't going to change and heal over night. It was going to take take for her to fully forgive Shelby but for now, she could forgive her enough to be open to a relationship. Rachel explained to Shelby how she felt and Shelby understood that Rachel needed a little more time. Shelby and Rachel talked a little bit about what had been going on since the two parted ways at Regionals and when Rachel's stomach began to grumble, Shelby got up to fix her some breakfast.

"Your dads are coming over in about four hours so I won't make you anything too big so you can eat with us." Shelby said, pulling out the ingredients to make pancakes. "How many pancakes do you want?"

"I'm vegan." Rachel said.

"Shit." Shelby mumbled to herself. She bit her lip and turned to Rachel. "I didn't know. I'm not sure if there is anything for you to eat."

"It's alright." Rachel smiled, use to things like this happening. "I've been vegan for like 6 years and my fathers still don't know what I can and can't eat." She said, getting up and going over to the fruit bowl. "I'll just have an apple and call my dads to bring me something over."

"Or we could go out now. The two of us. Alone." Shelby suggested. "If you're comfortable with that."

"I can do with an apple for a few hours." Rachel said, she washed it off in the sink and turned back to her seat. She could see Shelby wasn't set on Rachel only eating an apple and started to speak before Shelby could. "I'm not so hungry anyway."

Shelby would normally push Rachel to eat something more, as she never let Quinn get away with eating something so small for breakfast but Rachel's situation was different and she let it go. Shelby agreed to let Rachel eat in her bedroom before she got into the shower and the mom made a mental note of grabbing some vegan groceries for Rachel when she went to the store for food for brunch.

Quinn was coming out of the nursery when Rachel reached the top of the stairs.

"Hey." Rachel said first.

"Hey." Quinn replied. "How are you?"

"Okay I guess." Rachel shrugged. "You?"

"I'm good." Quinn nodded. The two glanced around, too nervous to look at each other.

"Thank you for bringing me here." Rachel spoke up.

"You're welcome." Quinn said. Rachel gave the blonde a light smile which put Quinn more at ease.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." Rachel said, stepping around Quinn.

"Oh, here." Quinn said, walking past Rachel to go to her room. She came back with the items she had gathered hours earlier.

"Thanks." Rachel smiled and went into Shelby's room to use her bathroom. Dropping the things on the bed, Rachel went down the stairs where Quinn was deciding on something to eat. "Quinn?"

"Yeah, Rach?"

"I'm not mad at you." Rachel said. "I've known what your mother was like for a few years, before we were friends. You needed to get out of there and Shelby helped you do that." Rachel glanced over at Shelby, who was standing by the sink. "I was mad at first when you took Beth in but understood that too much time had passed for us but when you took Quinn in, it hurt because you could care for and love someone who isn't your kid but you couldn't do that for me. I know you and Quinn have this special connection because of Beth but it makes me wonder if our connection means anything to you."

"Rachel, I-"

"It's hard for me. I don't know how to feel, it's like I'm talking in circles. One time when I think about it, I'm okay with it and the next, I'm hurt. I've never felt wanted by you."

"You have always been wanted Rachel." Shelby said, walking over to the stairs.

"How am I suppose to know?" Rachel asked, tears falling from her eyes. "How was I suppose to know?"

"I honestly don't know how to answer that." Shelby said.

"I'm not looking for an answer, anymore at least. Now I just want proof, that I am wanted."

"I am going to do everything I can to prove that Rachel." Shelby deeply promised, holding on to her daughter's hands.

"That's all I am asking." Rachel said.

Rachel excused herself from the kitchen and went back upstairs to take her shower. Stepping into the hot stream, Rachel tipped her head back into the water, wetting her hair. She leaned her head forward and scanned the shower organizer for shampoo, the sight of blood running down her neck and chest, caught her attention.

_"Where are you going?" He roared, grabbing her arm and yanking her back into the room. The door slammed shut as Rachel crashed into the TV stand, the edge cutting her head._

Rachel scrunched her eyes shut and popped them back open. Taking a deep breath, she squirted some shampoo in her hand and lathered it through her hair. She tried hard to not think anymore about her attack but that was proving to be hard. She picked a song and began lightly singing as a distraction. That, however, didn't work.

_"Stop! No, get off me." Rachel screamed. "Help me!"_

_"No one can hear you, bitch." He said, slapping her across the face._

Nearly thirty minutes after Rachel had gone back upstairs, Beth was ready to get up and Shelby headed upstairs to get the crying girl. As she reached the top stair, Shelby realized Rachel was still in the shower and was concerned. Quinn had a thing for taking long showers too but Quinn would have been out of the water by now.

"Quinn?" Shelby knocked on the girl's door. The blonde opened the door moments later, pulling her hair into a low ponytail. "Could you take care of Beth for me while I check on Rachel?"

"Sure." Quinn nodded and tossed her brush on the bed before going to do as Shelby asked.

Shelby walked into her bedroom and knocked on the wooden bathroom door. "Rach?" She knocked again after getting no response.

"Rachel?" Shelby loudly said.

She furrowed her brows and turned the handle of the door but it had been locked. She moved away from the door and opened the drawer of her nightstand. Digging through the mess, Shelby made a mental note to clean the drawer out at some point this week. Finding the key ring of keys to different doors of the house, Shelby returned to the door and unlocked the door. Pocketing the keys, Shelby cautiously opened the door.

"Rachel?" Shelby said again. "Honey?"

"Wha-wh?" Rachel stammered like she had been distracted.

"Is everything okay?" Shelby asked, noting that Rachel's breathing was heavy and quick.

"Yeah, um, I just- I'm getting out."

"Alright. Take your time, I was just checking on you."

Rachel didn't reply back and quickly finished up her shower. Shelby had left the room by the time Rachel stepped out of the bathtub and on to the fuzzy black mat. The towel clung to her wet body as she brushed her teeth. Repeatedly. Rinsing her mouth out one last time, Rachel picked up the clothes Quinn had borrowed her. The tank top and shorts were a bit more revealing than she was comfortable with at the moment. Rachel poked her head out the door and saw Shelby picking out an outfit for the day. The Berry men were coming over in just a few hours and Shelby still needed to go to the store.

"Shelby?" Rachel said.

Shelby looked to her right, taken back by Rachel's use of her first name.

"Could I borrow some other clothes from you? Quinn's aren't, well, they're just too." Rachel tried to say something without offending her friend and Quinn's generosity. "I think I'd feel more comfortable in a long sleeved shirt and sweat pants."

"Sure." Shelby said. She dropped the pair of jeans in her hand on the bed and walked over to her dresser. Pulling open two drawers, Shelby motioned for Rachel to come pick something out. "Have at it."

Rachel opened the door a little wider revealing the pink and in some spots, red skin. Shelby felt bad for Rachel. Seeing so many shows and movies where the victim couldn't get clean enough, Shelby knew that was the stage Rachel was at. She returned to the closet while Rachel grabbed a shirt and sweatpants. She noticed Rachel had left the door open most of the way while she quickly changed. Five minutes passed and Shelby stepped over to the bathroom and walked up behind Rachel.

Rachel's eyes moved from looking at herself in the mirror to looking at Shelby. "I can't go outside until they all go away."

"We can cover those." Shelby motioned to the bruises.

"It's not gonna work." Rachel sighed. "People are going to see them and rumors are going to be spread."

"I went through my teen years covering up hickey after hickey after hickey." Shelby said. "Trust me I am a pro at hiding bruises."

Shelby walked over to a small vanity by the door and collected various makeup brushes, compacts and other items. She had Rachel sitting on the toilet seat lid as she knelt down and got to work. Rachel kept her eyes down as Shelby focused intently on Rachel's face. It didn't take long for Shelby to cover the bruises and then she began to apply eye liner and mascara on Rachel's eyes and glossed her lips with some peach goo.

"All done." Shelby smiled.

Rachel stood up and went over to the mirror. Her mom was right, she was a pro at covering bruises and she had perfectly applied the rest of Rachel's makeup without a single flaw. Rachel smiled at how beautiful she was but upon thinking that, she internally frowned.

"Are we all going to the store with you?" Rachel asked, turning around to Shelby.

"What do you want?" Shelby asked, wondering if Rachel wanted to spend some alone time.

"We can all go." Rachel shrugged. "I don't want Beth or Quinn to get upset because you're spending more time with me."

"Well I hardly think Beth is an issue." Shelby chuckled. "And I know Quinn won't be upset. If you really want it to be the two of us, that's okay."

"No. They can come too." Rachel said.

"Alright. Well, I am gonna get dressed. Can you tell Quinn to get dressed too and then she needs to get Beth dressed too if I am not out by the time she is done herself."

"Okay." Rachel said, leaving the bathroom. She went down to the kitchen but didn't see Quinn or Beth. She heard some voices from the livingroom and walked into the next room. The two blondes were on the floor, engaged in an intense game of peek-a-boo. "Quinn? Shelby wants you to get dressed so we can go to the store."

"You got it." Quinn said, getting up. "Is she getting Beth changed or do I need too?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could?" Rachel asked, tucking some hair behind her ear.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Quinn shrugged. "Her clothes are in the top two drawers of her dresser and anything you need to change her diaper are in the baskets on the changing table."

"Okay." Rachel said. Quinn bent down and kissed the top of Beth's head before bounding up the stairs. Beth looked up at her older sister with big blue eyes and a goofy smile. "You look so much like Quinn yet you have Puck's smile."

Rachel unbuckled the girl from the bouncer and lifted her into her arms. She was nervous that Beth would start crying at any moment from not being use to Rachel but Beth happily babbled all the way to her room, glad to have someone holding her. Rachel stood in the middle of the room and glanced between the dresser and the changing table.

"If I put you on the changing table, you'll possibly roll off while I am getting some clothes but I don't know if I will be able to get your clothes while holding you." Rachel said to Beth. The baby looked at Rachel as if she was trying to help Rachel solve her dilemma.

Rachel walked over to the changing table and gave it a quick look, deciding it was too intimidating and saw a blanket on the rocker and laid that on the floor before placing the baby on top. Satisfied that she knew Beth was safe, Rachel went over to the dresser and picked out an outfit. Taking a diaper and wipes from one of the baskets, Rachel sat down by Beth and changed her very first diaper. Spotting a small bucket of hair bows and headbands, Rachel smiled and went over to the changing table once again. Once Beth was fully outfitted, she picked up the baby and returned the blanket to its spot.

"Girls!" Shelby called, walking out of her room. "The car is leaving in two minutes."

"But I'm not ready!" Quinn whined through her closed door.

"Two minutes." Shelby warned.

"We're ready." Rachel said, stepping into the hallway with Beth.

"Awe you two look so adorable together." Shelby beamed at her daughters with pride. "And Beth that headband is just too cute."

"I hope it's okay that I got her dressed. Beth really doesn't know me and I want her to get use to me."

"No worries. I'm glad you wanted to help out with her." Shelby said, taking Beth from Rachel after they had walked downstairs so Rachel could put on her shoes. Shelby opened the front closet and pulled out Beth's carseat and got the baby strapped in, then checked the diaper bag to make sure they had enough supplies for the short trip.

"I guess technically I am her big sister." Rachel said, standing by her mother. "I've been an only child my whole life and while I never particularly wanted to share my fathers' attention with another sibling, the idea of having a baby sister isn't all that bad."

Rachel wanted to be a good big sister and protect her from any harm but a chunk of her felt that she had to be the perfect big sister if she wanted to be in Shelby's life. Beth was important to the mom and Rachel knew that if it came down to it, she'd choose Beth over her.

"Until she starts raiding your closet, reading your diary, and eavesdropping on your conversations with boyfriends and friends." Shelby laughed.

"So I take it you have siblings?" Rachel asked.

"Two sisters. One older, one younger." Shelby replied, lifting the carseat off the floor.

"Being the middle kid sucks." Rachel shook her head. Shelby raised her brow and gave Rachel an odd look. "What? I watch the Brady Bunch on TVLand."

Shelby laughed whole heartedly at Rachel's seriousness. Rachel gave a small laugh but she stopped and moved towards the door. Shelby stepped over to Rachel and gently turned her around.

"You okay?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah." Rachel nodded but Shelby wasn't convinced.

"It's okay to not be, you know that, right?"

"I have to be. I don't know any other way than to be alright." Rachel said.

"What do you mean?"

Rachel ducked her head and fought back more tears. Once she felt in control of her emotions enough to speak, she looked back up at Shelby.

"Can we talk about this later?" Rachel asked. Shelby thought for a moment but in the end nodded.

"We can talk whenever you're ready too." Shelby said and after a few seconds, she turned towards the stairs. "Quinn! We're leaving!"

"I'm not ready." The girl said, running to the stairs.

"Then you are staying here." Shelby sternly said. She had given her enough time to get ready, this was pushing it. Shelby motioned for Rachel to head out to the car and Shelby followed after.

Rachel climbed into the front seat of the car and buckled her seat belt. Once Beth was secured in the backseat, Shelby got in next to Rachel and buckled her belt too. They had only made it to the end of the driveway when Quinn came running out towards the car. Shelby gave Rachel a smirk as she stopped the car.

"Do this often huh?" Rachel might not have known the meaning of all of Shelby's looks but she knew enough of her dads' looks to know what this one meant.

"At least three times a week. It's usually mostly when I am getting her off to school in the mornings." Shelby said.

Rachel nodded and stared out the the window while Quinn got in.

"That was a close one Beth." Quinn said to the baby.

Rachel stayed quiet most of the way and only half listened to the conversation between Shelby and Quinn. Shelby noticed Rachel wasn't paying much attention and attempted to get her involved.

"Will you be going, Rachel?" Shelby asked.

"Huh?" Rachel asked, turning to look at her mom.

"The Winter Formal?"

"The Winter For- Oh!" Rachel said, catching up on the conversation. "Um, I don't, no I 'm not."

"Why?" Quinn asked, poking her head between the console. "It will be fun."

"It's not my thing." Rachel shrugged.

"Well you can go with friends, you don't have to have a date if that's the issue." Shelby cut in.

"Yeah, I heard Mercedes and Tina are going together. Maybe you can join them?"

"I don't think so." Rachel shook her head and stared back out the window, ending her part of the conversation.

In the grocery store, Shelby placed Beth's carseat in the cart and the teen girls walked on either side of her. To make the trip quicker, Shelby gave Quinn a short list of things to go in search for. Rachel, nervous that her mom was going to send her off too, stepped closer to Shelby.

"What's first on our list?"

"Um, well, Quinn is taking care of the baby's things. That leaves stuff for breakfast and while I am doing that, you can go around and grab some food for yourself. Whatever you don't eat during your stay, you can take home." Shelby said and caught the flinch of hurt in Rachel's eyes. "Or you can leave it at my place." Shelby placed her list of things in the cart and placed her hands on Rachel's shoulders. "I do mean it, you can come by anytime and spend the night or stay a few hours. Whenever you need me."

"I know." Rachel nodded.

Shelby patted Rachel's shoulder and turned back to the cart. Rachel caught up to her mom and laced her fingers in Shelby's. Shelby glanced down at Rachel and gave her a small smile. The hand holding only lasted a few seconds as Shelby let go to grab something from the shelf. As soon as the pancake mix went into the cart, Rachel grabbed Shelby's hand again.

"I think the Vegan section is a few aisles down." Shelby pointed with her free hand. She could sense that Rachel was becoming a bit clingy. Not that she minded but she wanted Rachel to know that even if they couldn't physically be around each other, they were still together in every other sense.

"Come with me." Rachel said, tugging on Shelby's arm.

"Okay, I have to get one more thing down this aisle. How about I meet you over there in two minutes?" Shelby asked.

When Rachel didn't say anything, Shelby slipped her hand from Rachel's and started walking down towards the syrup. Bending down to check out the prices, Shelby noticed the familiar shoes coming into her line of sight. Rachel knelt down next to her and pointed out the cheapest bottle. Shelby picked it up and Rachel's hand grasped hers as they stood up straight.

They held hands as they weaved through the store, finally ending at the vegan section. Rachel stayed close to Shelby as she picked out a few things.

"Okay." Rachel said, ready to continue shopping.

"That's it?" Shelby questioned. "Don't you want to get more?"

"My food is more expensive." Rachel pointed out.

"Don't worry about that, sweetheart. Get whatever you want." Shelby urged her.

Rachel packed a few more things in the cart, not enough in Shelby's opinion but the mom figured Rachel needed more warming up time. They walked down to the frozen section and Shelby decided it might be a good time to find something for dinner too. Rachel was focused on the case of Popsicles that she didn't realize Shelby had turned the corner in search of Quinn.

Shutting the door with the strawberry fruit bars in her hand, Rachel glanced around. Shelby was no where in sight and terror spread over Rachel. Tears sprang to her eyes and pooled before running down her cheeks. She tried hard to wipe them away but they kept coming.

"Can I help you miss?" A man asked, touching Rachel's shoulder.

"NO!" Rachel jumped from being startled. "Don't!"

Rachel backed away from the man, bumping into someone else. She spun around and thankfully came into eye contact with Shelby.

"Rachel?" Shelby asked. She had realized Rachel wasn't behind her and started to turn around when Rachel shouted.

"I wanna go home." Rachel cried, clinging to the box.

"Oh." Shelby's heart dropped. She had been eagerly looking forward to spending a few days with Rachel. "I'll call Quinn and have her meet us at the checkout, then I will take you back to your dads'."

Rachel began to cry harder and Shelby was at a loss. The teen sat on the floor with her back against one of the coolers and brought her knees up to her chest, sobbing into them. Quinn, hearing the commotion, came around the corner and hurried up to her friend and caretaker.

"Shelby?" Quinn quietly said.

"It's okay, honey." Shelby replied, pulling out her credit card. "Take Beth with you and my cart to the checkout. I'm gonna take Rachel out to the car."

"Okay."

Quinn gave Rachel one last look before doing what she was told.

Shelby bent down next to Rachel and placed a hand on her knee. Rachel tensed up but when she heard Shelby's voice, she relaxed.

"Rachel." Shelby calmly said. "Sweetie, look at me." Shelby toughed up her voice just a little but not too much to make Rachel even more upset.

Rachel slowly looked up at Shelby with red, puffy eyes. "Why are you making me leave?"

"I'm not." Shelby furrowed her brows.

"But you're taking me back to my dads'."

"You said you wanted to go home." Shelby reminded her.

"Yeah." Rachel nodded. "To your home. I want it to be my home too, like Quinn and Beth."

"I see." Shelby said. "I misunderstood you but I know what you meant now. I want you to think of my house as yours too. I would really, really love it."

"Yeah." Rachel quietly nodded.

"Are you okay now? I heard you scream." Shelby asked, now that Rachel was calmed down some.

"A man scared me." Rachel replied, almost ashamed. "I couldn't find you and then he touched my shoulder and it freaked me out."

"I'm sorry, if I had made sure you were behind me, this wouldn't have happened."

"It's okay. I wasn't paying attention either." Rachel said.

Shelby took the sleeve of her jacket and carefully wiped Rachel's face dry. "Good as new." Shelby smiled but Rachel didn't. Rachel wasn't good. She wasn't good at all. "Well almost."

"Will I ever be?"

"Yeah." Shelby nodded. "Of course you will. It will just take some time."

"You'll help me, right?"

"You can count on me." Shelby forcefully said, gripping Rachel's hand. The girl gave Shelby a small smile and Shelby tugged gently on her hand. "Come on, lets get you out of here."

* * *

**What you do you think?**


	3. Chapter 3

"Rachel! Quinn! Can you come down here please?" Shelby called up the stairs.

She returned to her spot at the stove and checked the bacon. Seeing that everything was coming along perfectly, she went over to the cabinet that held the plates and pulled out four and grabbed some utensils on the way to the table. Quinn was the first one to come down and knew exactly what Shelby needed her to do and got to work on setting the table.

"What time are Rachel's dads coming over again?" Quinn asked.

"They should be here any minute." Shelby answered, glancing at the clock on the stove.

"Rachel!" Shelby yelled out again.

"She went into the guest bedroom when we got home and shut the door. Do you want me to go get her?"

"I'll go." Shelby shook her head.

Shelby knocked twice on the door and when she got no reply, Shelby turned the handle and pushed open the door. Rachel was laying on her belly, spread across the bed. Shelby wasn't sure if she was awake or not, so she walked over to the other side. The girl's eyes were closed and Shelby wasn't sure if she wanted to wake her up but she figured it would be better to let her know her dads were on their way.

"Rach?" Shelby quietly said, giving the girl a gentle shake.

"Mama?" Rachel groggily said, opening her sleep filled eyes.

"Hi baby." Shelby smiled. "I know you're tired but your dads are on their way. Don't you want to come down and eat with us?"

"Yeah." Rachel nodded with her eyes closed.

"Come down when you are ready, okay?" Shelby asked, rubbing Rachel's back.

Rachel pushed herself up to a sitting position and reached for Shelby's hand as they stood up and walked out of the bedroom. The two entered the kitchen and Quinn gave her friend a bright smile.

"Here let me take those for you." Rachel said, taking the condiments Quinn was carrying from the blonde. "Sorry I was down here sooner to help."

"No worries. I'm use to doing it by myself." Quinn shrugged, helping Rachel place the items on the table.

The table finished being set and the girls helped Shelby carry the serving bowls of food to the table. Shelby placed Rachel's brunch on a plate and placed it next to her seat. Just as the plate touched the table top, the doorbell rang.

"Rach, wanna go greet your dads?" Shelby asked.

Rachel looked like she wanted to say no but slowly nodded. Shelby caught this but made a mental note to talk to her about it later. Shelby was expecting there to be a few minutes before the three Berrys appeared but it was nearly instant that Hiram and Leroy walked into the kitchen without Rachel.

"Good morning. These are for you." Hiram said, handing Shelby a vase of flowers and kissing her on her cheek.

"Thank you, Hiram." Shelby smiled, remembering how gracious the two were during her pregnancy. "Good morning Leroy."

"Good Morning." Leroy said, kissing Shelby's cheek too.

"Where is Miss Rachel?" Shelby asked, noticing her absence.

"She opened the door and said she forgot something in your car so she hurried off to the garage." Leroy said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She barely said hello and dodged our hugs." Hiram said, hurt. "How has she been otherwise?"

"She's been okay, I guess. There was a break down at the store this morning but it got taken care of." Shelby said. "She hasn't talked about what happened and I don't want to push her either."

"I wonder what is taking her so long." Hiram said and Shelby looked down the hall to see if Rachel was coming.

"Why don't you two sit down and start eating? Quinn? Could you get drinks please?"

"Yes, Shelby." Quinn nodded and got up to do as she was told.

Shelby excused herself from the kitchen to look for Rachel. Walking out to the car, Shelby found Rachel sitting in the driver's side of the car. The girl shared one small look with Shelby and dropped her eyes to the steering wheel. Shelby walked around the car and got in next to Rachel.

"Your dads are looking for you." Shelby said, shutting the door.

"They look at me different." Rachel replied, gripping the steering wheel.

"They look at you differently because they are worried about you." Shelby said, touching Rachel's hand but the girl pulled away. Shelby was hurt by this movement but tried to swallow it. "It's gotta be hard, you know, I mean just a few days ago your only worry was getting into NYADA or not getting the solos in glee. Now, everything, it scares you. The sudden slam of a door. The unsuspecting brush of someone up against you and the fear that the person who hurt you is going to get you again."

"It's like you're in my head." Rachel whispered.

"The only thing I know what to do in this situation is hold you, other than that I am lost. If I could make this all go away, I would. It's hard but you have so many people who love you and are going to be by your side as you get through this."

"I can't just go in there and fake being happy or okay."

"And I am not asking you too, ever. What I am asking you, is that you come inside and sit with us. You don't have to eat, you don't have to talk."

"I don't know." Rachel hesitated.

"Please? For me? It would really kill me to leave you here alone."

Rachel slowly dropped her hand from the steering wheel, chewing on her lip for close to a minute before she gave Shelby the slightest nod. Shelby got out of the car and walked over to Rachel's side of the car and held her out. Rachel's hand slipped into Shelby's as they walked into the house. The dads welcomed Rachel to the table and the girl sat across from them, between Quinn and Shelby.

Rachel was withdrawn through the whole meal, Shelby tried to get Rachel involved in conversation but it never went farther than Rachel answering a few questions. Eventually Rachel said she needed to lay down and said goodbye to her dads, thanking them for coming over and bringing her some clothes.

After the men had left, Shelby and Quinn cleaned up the kitchen. Quinn asked if she could go to Santana's house and Shelby agreed, giving her a curfew and the normal rules of no drinking, no phone usage while driving and if the girls were planning to leave Santana's, Quinn was to call Shelby and ask permission. Quinn quietly went up to the second floor and changed her clothes to leave. Rachel was asleep in the spare room and Quinn did her best to not startle the girl.

Shelby finished up the last of the dishes and carried Beth into the livingroom to keep her occupied. Once Beth was content in her swing, Shelby laid on the couch, hoping to get a small nap in herself since both her daughters were sleeping. Pulling the black throw blanket over her chilled feet, Shelby curled up on her side and closed her eyes.

An hour later, Shelby was woken up to a screaming match going on outside. Groaning, she got up to look out the window. Shaking her head at the two men out front, Shelby retreated into the kitchen for a cup of hot tea. Beth was going to be getting up any minute, so there was no use going back to sleep. Sitting back on the couch with her tea, Shelby relished the silence, not getting this time to herself often.

The fighting outside seemed to stop but only for a moment and a woman joined in on the verbal fighting. From what Shelby could tell the woman had been sleeping with the man across the street and her boyfriend found out, showing up at the second guy's house to catch them in the act. The boyfriend started screaming at the girl, calling her a few cuss words. Shelby was impressed with some of the names and even chuckled at the latest one but it didn't last long when she heard a crashing noise from upstairs.

Setting her teacup on the glass coffee table, Shelby dashed upstairs and found Rachel backing away from the window. Hearing footsteps behind her, Rachel whipped around and covered her head, backing away from Shelby and into a corner of the room.

"Rach, honey, it's just me." Shelby tried but Rachel cried out, refusing to let Shelby get to close.

"No. Don't hurt me. Please, please just let me go." Rachel cried out, sliding down to the floor and laying on her side in the fetal position.

"Baby, please." Shelby worriedly said. "It's mom. Rachel, it's mom."

Rachel continued to beg for her safety and Shelby was at a loss. Rachel wouldn't let her touch her and didn't comprehend that Shelby wasn't trying to hurt her at all. After 10 minutes of Rachel still crying, Shelby began to sing the first few lines of I Dreamed a Dream, hoping Rachel would calm down. Slowly, Rachel uncurled herself and allowed Shelby to pull her into the mom's lap.

"I'm sorry." Rachel repeated over and over again.

"Hey, shhh, it's okay." Shelby rocked her.

"I'm so sorry." Rachel said.

"There's no need to be sorry, you were just frightened is all." Shelby soothed. "It's all over with."

"It's not okay." Rachel said, her tone becoming angry. "I can't go out, I can't go to my dads, and I can't be here. This is so humiliating."

"Don't be embarrassed."

"I'm 16 years old!" Rachel shouted. Pushing herself off the floor, she ran into the bathroom, slamming the door.

Shelby would have gone after her, however, she felt a cold wet spot on her pants. Glancing up at the bed, Shelby noticed the large wet spot on there too. The startle of the fighting, really had scared Rachel and Shelby felt even worse for the girl. Getting up, Shelby went into her room and changed her clothes. The shower was running in the bathroom and Shelby didn't disturb Rachel. Gathering the linens from Rachel's bed, Shelby snuck into the bathroom and grabbed Rachel's clothes, leaving her a fresh set of clothes.

Shelby started a load of wash and went to check on Rachel, who had locked herself in her bedroom.

"Open the door, Rach." Shelby calmly said.

"No." Rachel replied back.

"We don't have to talk about what happened, I won't even mention it. Just please come out of your room."

"You're gonna yell at me." Rachel said, throwing Shelby through a loop.

"I don't understand Rachel. Why would I yell at you?"

"Because!" Rachel shouted through the closed door. Shelby heard the clicking of the lock and the door was thrown open.

"Oh my god, Rachel." Shelby gasped. "Your hair. Why?"

"He said I was pretty. I don't want to be pretty." Rachel yelled.

While standing in the mirror after her shower, Rachel thought back to her attack. Him telling her she was pretty echoed in her head. His hands combing through her long hair, his lips trailing over hers. In the end, her attacker won again and she cut chunks of her hair out using Shelby's manicure scissors. She wasn't pretty anymore.

"You can't let him do this to you. Don't let him get the best of you."

"He's not. No one is ever going to hurt me again. You'll see." Rachel strangely said, shutting her door on Shelby.


End file.
